The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)The story of the magnificent 332nd Fighter Group is woven into a dramatic tapestry of the horror of war and the disjointed approach of many Americans to a difficult time and a situation many would have preferred to ignore. The performance of the pilots who graduated the Tuskegee Training Program (they NEVER lost an escorted bomber to enemy action!) unfolds against the backdrop of misunderstanding, racism and political machinations that nearly destroyed the entire enterprise. This film does a magnificent job of telling the tale without being melodramatic, preachy or snide, but does full justice to the accomplishments of the pilots and their eventual victory against both German pilots and their own nation's refusal to recognize their talents. For the student of World War II, this is a well-known and much-respected story. For the student of African-American History, it is a tale of pride which shines as brightly as the stars on the American Flag these men so courageously defended. Fishburn and Cuba Gooding are superior as men caught between their own humanity and the de-humanizing effects of war. If ever a film deserve a 5-Star rating, this one does.

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Featuring an all-star cast headed by Laurence Fishburne, fireballs of high speed air action explode off the screen in this exciting story of the "Fighting 99th," the first squadron of black American pilots to be allowed to fight for their country. Based on the true story.

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The Essential Steve McQueen Collection (Bullitt Two-Disc Special Edition / The Getaway Deluxe Edition / The Cincinnati Kid / Papillon / Tom Horn / Never So Few) (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)You could call him the quiet one. McQueen had a talent for portraying quite a lot with minimal dialog and that's the way he liked it. He has maybe 75 lines off dialog in "The Magnificent Seven" yet his presence is equal to that of star Yul Brynner. You'd be forgiven for being confused about which Steve McQueen boxed set to purchase. MGM has recently released "The Steve McQueen Collection" which features four McQueen classics that have previously been available on DVD; "The Thomas Crown Affair", "The Magnificent Seven", "Junior Bonner" and "The Great Escape".
"The Essential Steve McQueen Collection" is a different beast entirely; it does feature 1 title that is no different than the previously issued version -"Papillon". All the rest have either never been issued or, in the case of "Bullitt", are now in two disc deluxe editions that make this set a worthwhile addition to any collection.
The crown jewel of this set is the new deluxe edition of "Bullitt". McQueen plays San Francisco detective Frank Bullitt. He's been assigned to protect a witness for a major trial. The witness, though, is murdered. Before the post-mortem has begun, Bullitt hunts for the killers and plans on nailing them. Featuring an amazing high speed chase through the streets of San Francisco and shot entirely on location, "Bullitt" was Peter Yates' first major US film and it crackles with energy.
"Papillon" tells the story of a thief nick-named Papillon for the large butterfly tattooed on his chest. (McQueen) framed for murder in France and sent to Devil's Island for life. From the moment he steps on the boat headed to the prison he's planning his escape. He agrees to protect a financial thief Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). Schaffner's film portrays Papillon's attempt to survive on Devil's Island until he can figure out an escape plan. Although this isn't Schaffner's best film, it has a number of powerful moments that equal his classic films "Patton", "Planet of the Apes" and "The War Lord". McQueen more than holds his own with method actor Hoffman.
"The Cincinnati Kid" features McQueen as Eric Stoner a poke playing ace who challenges the best gambler around "the Man" Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson). A terrific performance by Edward G. Robinson allows Robinson to almost steal the picture under McQueen's nose. With a terrific supporting cast, "The Cincinnati Kid" would be one of the most memorable films about gambling until "Rounders" three decades later.
"Never So Few" features McQueen in the third billed role of Bill Ringa a member of the O.S.S. fighting the Japanese during World War II in Burma. Ringa and his Captain Tom Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) are in Burma to train the Kachin natives in how to fight the Japanese. Reynolds fights dirty when Chinese rebels cross over to Burma to kill and loot the American soldiers stationed there. Although it's not one of director John Sturges ("The Magnificent Seven". "Ice Station Zebra") best films, "Never So Few" provides McQueen with a role that continued his breakthrough as a actor. It also inspired Sturges to cast McQueen in "The Magnificent Seven".
"The Getaway" almost got away without being made. Originally Peter Bogdanovich was to direct with his girlfriend actress Cybil Shepherd in the lead. When she dropped out so did Bogdanovich. Luckily director Sam Peckinpah stepped in and the rewritten script by Walter Hill was tooled for McQueen. Scandal broke out on the set when McQueen became involved with his co-star Ali McGraw (who was then married to Paramount head Robert Evans). McQueen plays thief Doc McCoy who has been paroled. The only problem is that Sheriff Beynon (Ben Johnson) expects him to do a big robbery for him. He plans on killing McCoy afterward but things don't quite work out the way that Beynon intended.
"Tom Horn" (McQueen) a tracker and "enforcer" who dispensed justice in the old west takes a job to stop cattle thieves. When things get messy and Horn has to kill some of the rustlers, the ranchers who hired him want Horn stopped. He's put on trial for the murder of a 15 year old boy. The next to last film McQueen made before he died in 1980, is a surprisingly powerful and great western. The screenplay by novelist/screenwriter Thomas McGuane ("The Missouri Breaks", "92 in the Shade", "Rancho Deluxe") and Bub Shrake ("Nightwing", "J.W. Coop", "Songwriter") portrays a character out of time; Horn's style of dispensing justice faces the gray world of corruption and politics. McQueen gives one of his best nuanced performances in a film that didn't do all that well at the box office. It's a pity as it's a great movie that deserves a wider audience. Luckily, for those who buy the boxed set they'll finally get a chance to see this classic western.
The previous DVD edition of "Bullitt" looked quite good but can't compare to the newly digitally remastered transfer here. Image clarity, color and detail for "Bullitt" is superb. The sound is surprisingly spry with a nice 5.1 remix that doesn't quite use the format to its best advantage but that's not a surprise given that the film is nearly 40 years old. "Papillon" comes with the same transfer as it received in 2000. Image quality is good but the negative could use restoration and/or digital filtering to clean up the print/improve it. It does feature a recent 5.1 remix (which wasn't advertised on the box of the previous release and I don't recall if it had it or not on the 1999 release but I suspect not).The colors aren't bright and vibrant but they fit the general atmosphere of the film and are fairly true to the original theatrical exhibition if a bit faded. "The Getaway" looks terrific again considering the age of the movie. The blacks are rock solid and the colors as vivid and bright as they've ever been. There's the occasionally soft image but, on the whole, "The Getaway" looks marvelous. "Never So Few" also looks quite good particularly when you consider the age of the negative. It receives a solid transfer with bright colors and nice image clarity. "The Cincinnati Kid" also looks exceptionally good with nice color reproduction and image quality. It's clear that some digital restoration was done to the most recent releases here and "Kid" does benefit from it. "Tom Horn" looks extremely good with sharp images, bright and vivid colors. Although a tad grainy (like most of the films here) that has more to do with the stock used to shoot the films and the condition of the negative than the transfer. In most cases, the graininess adds to the character of the films. All six films feature 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround soundtracks (in addition to the 5.1 remasters for "Papillon"). All sound crisp with nice clarity to the dialog and music.
"Bullitt" gets the most attention here. Featuring two fine documentaries on the film and McQueen, we also get the original vintage featurette on the film. "The Cutting Edge" examines the the art of movie editing with a glimpse into other films during the editing process as well. "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool" is a terrific biography on McQueen that provides a lot of information previously unknown about the actor. There's also the original theatrical trailer included as well. "The Getaway" features the original theatrical trailer only. "Papillon" has the original promotional featurette produced for the film as part of the extras as well as the trailer. "The Cincinnati Kid", "Never So Few" and "Tom Horn" all have only the original theatrical trailer for the respective films. It's a pity that Warner chose not to do a documentary or at the very least a featurette on "Tom Horn". Since it's about a real historical figure and making the film was a passion for McQueen, it would have been appropriate and provided much needed information on the historical figure and the production of this fine overlooked film.
"Bullitt" comes with an excellent commentary by director Peter Yates. "The Getaway" features a "virtual" commentary culled from interviews of McQueen, Peckinpah and McGraw as well as a commentary by Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle. "The Cincinnati Kid" has a marvelous trivia filled commentary track by director Norman Jewison.
Between this release and "The Steve McQueen Collection", McQueen fans will have most of his essential films. Although there are a few gems missing from these collections (due to contractual issues no doubt), most of the films here are among the best McQueen made. "The Getaway" and "Bullitt" receive most of the attention here with terrific commentary tracks and extras. "Papillon" probably could have used a face lift with a new digital transfer and a commentary track by a film historian (or Dustin Hoffman) but it looks like we'll have to wait for this minor classic to get its due another time. The other missed opportunity in this superb set is the lack of extras for "Tom Horn" One of McQueen's finest later films and a terrific western that presaged films like "The Unforgiven", "Open Range" and "Wyatt Earp", it's a perfect period piece about the transition of the old west into civilization and those who were lost along the way.

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6 Steve McQueen classic movies are now available in one giftset -- THE ESSENTIAL STEVE McQUEEN COLLECTION! BULLITT TWO DISC-SPECIAL EDITION: Buckle up for gritty police procedure and a wild, trend-setting chase over Frisco's hills with THE GETAWAY DELUXE EDITION A heist gone wrong is dead-right in the hands of McQueen and director Sam Peckinpah. THE CINCINNATI KID McQueen and Edward G. Robinson ante up. Norman Jewison guides the big-time poker flick. NEVER SO FEW Commando action in World War II Burma! McQueen's first big-budget film. Frank Sinatra stars. PAPILLON Can McQueen and Dustin Hoffman escape Devil's Island? From the director of Patton. TOM HORN True to the cowboy way! McQueen rides tall in a star-packed elegy to a changing West. Titles also available separately.

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Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.
The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.
The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie.

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Director David Lean follows the heroic true-life odyssey of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) in this dramatic portrait of the famed British officer's journey to the Middle East. Assigned to Arabia during World War I, Lawrence courageously unites the warring Arab factions into a strong guerrilla front and leads them to brilliant victories in treacherous desert battlefields where they eventually defeat the ruling Turkish Empire.

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Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Gold Collection disc is too flawed to seriously consider at this point with the "10th Anniversary{ two-disc set now out.
Gold Collection:
1. Worst DVD tranfer of a Disney film in recent memory
2. No "If I Never Knew You". Not even the rough cut.
3. Extras: a Trailer and some music videos. Not much going on here.
4. Not anamorphic
10th Anniversary:
1. Anamorphic 16:9
2. Great new transfer
3. "If I Never Knew You" in the movie and completely animated. Major addition to the last half of the movie.
4. Both versions of the film, the 1995 cut and the 2003 "Director's Cut".
5. Loads of extras including a documentary, updated audio commentary track, sections for each major character with art, concept drawings, deleted scenes, scenes that never made it past the concept stage......you get the idea.

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Any Given Sunday (Special Edition Director's Cut) (Keepcase) (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)No one can accuse Oliver Stone of being original. In 1987's Wall Street he took the age old story of a youngster being seduced by money and power and turned into one of the most scathing attacks on heartless Capitalism. So predictably Any Given Sunday doesn't really have anything new to say, just a lot of old things to shout.
One negative review of the film said "Stone directs like a deranged rooftop sniper". And with full frontal nudity, severed eyeballs on the feild and a general air of violent intensity it is clear that the film is excessive. But that is also why it works. Stone manages to give the viewer that voyeuristic delight of a peeping tom who's only allowed to look at something for two seconds before he pulls the camera away. As he did with JFK and NIXON, Stone uses every camera angle concievable, but unlike those two films Any Given Sunday never really becomes a flawless whole.
The film tells the story of the Miami Sharks head coach Tony D'amato(Al Pacino looking very angry). His team is on a losing streak, his quarterback(Dennis Qauid) is injured and is replaced by the talented but ego-centric Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx), who according to D'amato "may sell a lot of T-shirts but is ripping the team apart". Now D'amato has got to battle this kid, the greedy ice cold team owner (Cameron Diaz) and a corrupt team doctor who lets injured players on the field despite fatal risks and then justifies it to himself with twisted morality(James Woods). The scenes between these four principles are stunning, and even there Stone refuses to let the camera sit still. It might have been a wiser descision to tone down the off-field scenes.
Any Given Sunday may seem from its reviews as a tradional sports movie, with the big game ending and bonding theme. While it has those, it far too cynical and ambitious to be just about that. Just incase you don't get it, Stone gives you images of Ben Hur (Football as the modern Gladiator arena) and even casts Charlton Heston as the league comissioner. And ofcourse you get the prescribed dose of anti-consumerism ranting.
In final analysis, Any Given Sunday is not a great film or a historical achievement. But its frequently inspired, always fixating and exhausting. When it hits, it hits very hard.

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Life is a contact sport and football is life when three-time academy award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and a dynamic acting ensemble explore the fortunes of the Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday.At the 50-year line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato, the embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team strife plus a new, marketing-savvy Sharks owner (Cameron Diaz) who's sure Tony is way too old school. An injured quarterback (Dennis Quaid), a flashy, bull-headed backup QB (Jamie Foxx), a slithery team doctor (James Woods) and a running back with an incentive-laden contract (LL Cool J) also provide some of the stories that zigzag like diagrams in a playbook. and throughout, there's the awesome spectacle of motion, sound and action orchestrated by Stone.

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Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Al Pacino burns up the screen in Dog Day Afternoon which is based on a true story and confirms that fact that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Mr. Pacino plays Sonny who teams up with the dullard Sal (John Cazale) to rob a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer afternoon. Sonny was a one-time bank employee, so he knows all the tricks of the trade to thwart bank robbers. Unfortunately for the robbers, the bank virtual has no money do to having made a deposit only hours before the robbery attempt. A shopworker across the street from the bank notices the strange proceedings and calls the cops. Before you know it, the bank is completely surrounded by cops. The cops (led by Charles Durning & James Broderick) start a hostage negotiation with Sonny. Even though Sonny's a crook, he isn't all bad and he, Sal and the hostage bank workers form a strange kinship. The story is shown on TV and a crowd gathers in the streets as well and Sonny becomes something of a cult hero. His scenes on the street outside the bank are scintillating including his famous Attica chant. Sonny is married with kids, but it turns out that he was robbing a bank to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover, Leon (Chris Sarandon). The movie closes out at night at the airport in dramatic fashion. Sidney Lumet does a fine job translating the heat and humidity of the day and you can feel yourself sweating along with the characters. Mr. Pacino has been more heralded for his Godfather roles, Scarface, Serpico and Scent Of A woman, but in my book, he was never finer than he was in this movie.

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AN ECCENTRIC BANK ROBBER BRINGS NEW YORK CITY TO A STANDSTILL INTHIS TENSE, QUIRKY THRILLER. A MODERN-DAY CLASSIC. INCLUDES NOTES AND SCENE ACCESS.

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Masterpiece Theatre: All the King's Men (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is unusual in the history of warfare for entire units to disappear without a trace and when it does occur, such occurrences are usually the result of serious mistakes that lead to the annihilation of one's command. In American history, Custer and the 7th Cavalry come to mind. Further back, the disappearance of the entire Roman 9th Hispana Legion in Scotland is another example. In the British-made movie entitled "All the King's Men," a more recent occurrence of such an incident is portrayed. On August 12, 1915 at Gallipoli, over 300 British soldiers of the 1/5th Norfolk Battalion attacked into a morning mist and where never seen again. Few of the bodies were ever found and none returned from Turkish prisons after the war. Winston Churchill no less, called it one of the great-unsolved mysteries of the 20th Century.
This film focuses on the "Sandringham Company," formed mostly from servants, gardeners and other workers on King George V's estate of that name, which were part of the 1/5th Norfolk Battalion. Virtually none of these men were ever seen again and the Royal family made great efforts during and after the war to ascertain their fate. The main characters in this film are Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), his two nephews who are lieutenants in the company, a Sergeant Grimes, King George V and Queen Alexandra. Beck is the main focus, as the fifty-plus estate manager who organizes and prepares the unit for war; rather than appearing as an odious "Colonel Blimp" type character, Jason wonderfully portrays Beck as a trusted father figure in the unit, respected by both the King and the troops. Much of the early part of the film focuses on the lives of the men while on the estate, and Beck's efforts to go to war with them despite his age. Eventually, Queen Alexandra lends her support to his martial ambitions and Beck is allowed to lead his men off to Gallipoli.
Unfortunately, the film bogs down a bit once the unit gets to Gallipoli. In reality, the 1/5th Norfolk landed at Suvla Bay on 10 August and was lost two days later, but in the film these two days seem to drag. The fact that the British were making a major effort to break out of the Suvla Bay enclave is missed here, because the film shows the men of the company lounging about and engaging in mundane camp activities. Some patrol activity against Turkish snipers is shown, but this has little relevance. On 12 August, as part of a minor preliminary operation to clear the way for a larger attack on the next day, the 1/5th Norfolks and several other units are sent forward to clear out Turkish outposts. At this point in the film, when the unit disappears in the mists, the director begins to switch back and forth between post-war investigations into the disappearance and a hypothetical depiction of what actually occurred on that day.
Historically, the film is a bit disappointing in recounting the fate of the "Sandringham Company" because it fails to put the day in perspective. The Sandringham company is shown in total isolation from the rest of the British army. The participation of other units or even the rest of the battalion is not depicted in this film, nor is even the audience told what their mission was. In fact, Captain Frank Beck did not lead the attack; it was his superior Colonel Beauchamp (Beck is never shown interacting with his superiors), who also died. The 1/5th Norfolk lost 372 men that day, of which the Sandringham men were only 2/3rds of the casualties. Even more glaring is that the British suffered about 18,000 casualties in less than a week at Suvla Bay during the period of the Sandringham company's brief involvement in the campaign; the disappearance of a few hundred troops in the midst of such slaughter and confusion might have made more sense given these facts.
Obviously the men were all killed, since none ever returned, but the exact nature of their fate remained a mystery. This film depicts the Sandringham's as punching through the thin Turkish line in a glorious charge, but are then overwhelmed once they become surrounded behind enemy lines. The Turks execute all the captured survivors, including Beck. While this theory has merit, it is not the only possibility. The film depicts the mist as obscuring the battlefield, but fails to show the heavy scrub brush and small trees that hindered the British advance and made it difficult for the officers to maintain control. Another plausible theory, not suggested by the film, is that the 1/5th Norfolk lost cohesion in the rough terrain and the battle-hardened Turks destroyed the untried unit piece-meal. While there is little doubt that the Turks were not taking prisoners that day, there is no evidence to suggest that the "Sandringham's" went down in a blaze of glory as depicted in this film (although certainly such a depiction is preferred to anything that suggests an ignominious end). Perhaps they did, but the loss of the entire unit is more indicative of incompetence than competence.
Despite these historical reservations, the film is very well done and provides a poignant example of the enthusiasm of men to go off to war in the early days of the First World War. Although some minor characters, including a conscientious objector and a shell-shock casualty, temper the glorious view of war to some extent, the film remains committed to a patriotic depiction of martial duty. The cost of such devotion is apparent by the end of the film, but the meaning of such sacrifice is left ambiguous. Contrast this British-made ambivalence about the sacrifices of the First World War with the current American films that glorify the sacrifices of the Second World War.

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The true story of England's vanished regiment is revealed. It is one of the most compelling and curious legends of the First World War. Led by Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), a favorite agent of King George V (David Troughton, Madame Bovary), Sandringham Company was comprised entirely of servants, grooms and gardeners from the King's Norfolk Estate. On August 12, 1915 the unit marched into battle against the Turks in Gallipoli and simply vanished, never to be heard from again. Queen Alexandra, played by Dame Maggie Smith (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, A Room with a View), was the driving force behind the investigation into the real fate of the battalion. But despite her extensive inquires, no trace of the men was ever discovered. Now, All the King's Men brings the details of what really happened in 1915 to the screen for the first time. It tells the story of these amateur soldiers, the idyllic life and loves they left behind in the quintessential English country estate and the horrors of an ill-prepared campaign to which they were subjected.

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Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw this film in the theaters and was very disappointed that it was not a major hit; although I think I know why. This is definitely a character and dialogue-driven historical drama. Not your run-of-the-mill mind-blowing blockbuster type of film! I believe this film will play very nicely in DVD or video form where it's quiet drama will play itself better.
I was VERY disappointed that Bruce Greenwood was not nominated for an academy award (there were rumors this may happen) because I believe his performance was as good if not better than the men that were nominated. His JFK was, in my humble opinion, perfect. I found this film compelling, well written, and dramatic. I especially enjoyed the scenes where Kenny O'Donnell (K. Costner) went to church and went to see his son play ball. Can you just imagine what you would feel if you thought the end of the world may happen?
As I watched this movie, I thought it was a shame that the movie-going generation of today did not take the time to watch it. To them, this is history of long ago; to many others, it is a lesson worth watching and remembering.
This is also, quite frankly, a wonderful and entertaining piece of cinema. Give it the chance it deserves.

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THIRTEEN DAYS - DVD Movie

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Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)Warner Home Video is releasing newly remastered transfers of Bonnie and Clyde, with new special features, in several editions. Amazon is taking orders at the following links:
Standard DVD 2-disc Special Edition
Standard DVD 2-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition
Blu-ray
HD
The first three were released on March 25th; the HD version is due out on April 15th. Warner Brothers has announced that it won't support HD after May 31, 2008, so there may be a limited window to get the HD version.
The new transfers have been made from the "original elements," meaning stuff like original negatives or original prints. (See below for an update on the video and audio quality.) The special features announced, included in all the new releases, are these:
-- the full-length History Channel documentary about the real Bonnie and Clyde called "Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" (43:10)
-- a new three-part documentary about the making and releasing of the film and its relation to the real Bonnie and Clyde:
. . . "Bonnie and Clyde's Gang" (22:35)
. . . "The Reality and Myth of Bonnie and Clyde" (24:07)
. . . "Releasing Bonnie and Clyde" (18:06)
-- two newly discovered deleted scenes (5:23)
-- two trailers (4:11)
-- Warren Beatty's wardrobe tests (7:39)
The HD and Blu-ray editions will also include as a "high-def exclusive" a hardcover book (34 pages according to Amazon, 32 pages according to dvdbeaver) with a detailed production history, star/director filmographies and rare archival behind-the-scenes photos. The book is an integral part of the case. This isn't included in the standard DVD Special Edition.
The Ultimate edition will also include some non-DVD extras. Details are given in the earlier reviews of the Ultimate edition (January 17, 2008).
No commentary was announced, so I subtract one star. For some the making-of features may partially make up for the lack of commentary.
As for the movie itself, it's a landmark, but there are already many helpful reviews here about that ....
Update on the video and audio quality of the new releases (March 27th)
I haven't got my copy yet, but I've checked out some early professional reviews. All the ones I've seen that compare to the older DVD agree that the video quality of the new releases is much improved. I'll give some details from a sampling of reviews here for anyone interested, but the upshot is that everyone is pleased with both new transfers (HD not being out yet).
Standard DVD
DVD Beaver, which specializes in DVD image evaluations and comparisons, says the standard DVD 2-disc Special Edition video is "very strong," clean, with minimal noise. They report improved detail, contrast and color from the older DVD. Skin tones are said to be a bit on the red side (which is what most people prefer to accurate color). The image is said to have a glossy look at times, perhaps the same look described at DVD Town as "a little glassy."
The sound is the original mono, described by DVD Beaver as "clear and consistent." No one raves about the sound, but everyone finds it good overall, for mono.
The review at DVD Town finds the new transfer "excellent for a movie some forty years old." It mentions noticeable grain in some shots, but this may refer to scenes in which there was intentional grain introduced for effect. Also mentioned are occasional softness, skin tones a touch dark, but overall color "quite realistic." Says the definition is superb for standard DVD, contrast strong.
DVD Verdict says, "The remastered print looks very good, with strong colors and high contrast, and superb detail ...," with a little grain at times.
Blu-ray
DVD Beaver says the Blu-ray version is, as would be expected, even better. The darks are darker than on the new standard DVD, the brights brighter, very strong detail, with a touch redder skin tones, very minor noise. The image is said to retain a natural look.
The sound is described with very same adjectives as for the standard DVD: clear and consistent.
Home Theater Forum's reviewer calls the Blu-ray transfer's color fidelity "outstanding" and overall quality "excellent," including sharpness and detail. Blacks are said to be very black, though less so in the later part of the movie.
A review at High-Def Digest praises the Blu-ray image quality very highly, particularly the color, which it describes as vibrant, smooth and natural.
(I've posted the links to the reviews cited in the first comment for this review.)

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A SOMEWHAT ROMANTIZED ACCOUNT OF THE CAREER OF THE NOTORIOUSLYVIOLENT BANK ROBBING COUPLE AND THEIR GANG.

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Crazy Horse (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)A wonderfull movie! Attention to detail, for example some of the statements made by Crazy Horse and Custer, period costume and battles. It is interesting to note that Custer had cut his hair before the battle of the Little Big Horn, which appears to be the only movie to portray this accurately. Custer dies somewhere during the battle and not in the 'classic' back to back end of the battle senario as is popularly portrayed in the 'hero' literature.
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail are portrayed in a rather negative light. I am not convinced that this is accurate. Sitting Bull hardly gets a mention although it is a fact that he was the major role player at the time.
I will watch this film again and again

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Born on the Fourth of July (Special Edition) (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)I avoided this when it came out in 1989 having seen Coming Home (1978) and not wanting to revisit the theme of paraplegic sexual dysfunction and frustration. I also didn't want to reprise the bloody horror of our involvement in the war in Vietnam that I knew Oliver Stone was going to serve up. And Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic? I just didn't think it would work.
Well, my preconceptions were wrong.
First of all, for those who think that Tom Cruise is just another pretty boy (which was basically my opinion), this movie sets that mistaken notion to rest. He is nothing short of brilliant in a role that is enormously demanding--physically, mentally, artistically, and emotionally. I don't see how anybody could play that role and still be the same person. Someday in his memoirs, Tom Cruise is going to talk about being Ron Kovic as directed by Oliver Stone.
And second, Stone's treatment of the sex life of Viet Vets in wheelchairs is absolutely without sentimentality or silver lining. There are no rose petals and no soft pedaling. There was no Jane Fonda, as in Coming Home, to play an angel of love. Instead the high school girl friend understandably went her own way, and love became something you bought if you could afford it.
And third, Stone's depiction of America--and this movie really is about America, from the 1950s to the 1970s--from the pseudo-innocence of childhood war games and 4th of July parades down Main street USA to having your guts spilled in a foreign land and your brothers-in-arms being sent home in body bags--was as indelible as black ink on white parchment. He takes us from proud moms and patriotic homilies to the shameful neglect in our Veteran's hospitals to the bloody clashes between anti-war demonstrators and the police outside convention halls where reveling conventioneers wave flags and mouth phony slogans.
I have seen most of Stone's work and as far as fidelity to authentic detail and sustained concentration, this is his best. There are a thousand details that Stone got exactly right, from Dalton Trumbo's paperback novel of a paraplegic from WW I, Johnny Got His Gun, that sat on a tray near Kovic's hospital bed, to the black medic telling him that there was a more important war going on at the same time as the Vietnam war, namely the civil rights movement, to a mother throwing her son out of the house when he no longer fulfilled her trophy case vision of what her son ought to be, to Willem DaFoe's remark about what you have to do sexually when nothing in the middle moves.
Also striking were some of the scenes. In particular, the confession scene at the home of the boy Kovic accidentally shot; the Mexican brothel scene of sex/love desperation, the drunken scene at the pool hall bar and the pretty girl's face he touches, and then the drunken, hate-filled rage against his mother, and of course the savage hospital scenes--these and some others were deeply moving and likely to haunt me for many years to come.
Of course, as usual, Oliver Stone's political message weighed heavily upon his artistic purpose. Straight-laced conservatives will find his portrait of America one-sided and offensive and something they'd rather forget. But I imagine that the guys who fought in Vietnam and managed to get back somehow and see this movie, will find it redemptive. Certainly to watch Ron Kovic, just an ordinary Joe who believed in his country and the sentiments of John Wayne movies and comic book heroics, go from a depressed, enraged, drug-addled waste of a human being to an enlightened, focused, articulate, and ultimately triumphant spokesman for the anti-war movement, for veterans, and the disabled was wonderful to see. As Stone reminds us, Kovic really did become the hero that his misguided mother dreamed he would be.
No other Vietnam war movie haunts me like this one. There is something about coming back less than whole that is worse than not coming back at all that eats away at our consciousness. And yet in the end there is here displayed the triumph of the human will and a story about how a man might find redemption in the most deplorable of circumstances.

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THE BIOGRAPHY OF RON KOVIC. PARALYZED IN THE VIETNAM WAR, HEBECOMES AN ANTI-WAR AND PRO-HUMAN RIGHTS POLITICAL ACTIVIST AFTER FEELING BETRAYED BY THE COUNTRY HE FOUGHT FOR.

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Baa Baa Black Sheep - Volume 1 (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)I watched this show when it first came out in the late 70s. Based very loosely on the memoirs of Col. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, USMC, Ret. (also titled Baa Baa Black Sheep), it tells a fictionalised and highly romanticised account of the exploits of the Marine Corps Fighter Squadron VMF-214 (aka The Black Sheep). This ragtag squadron based in the Solomon islands created headlines when in a span of 12 weeks in late 1943, it accounted for 197 enemy planes destroyed or damaged. That run ended with Boyington's own downing by the Japanese and his subsequent secret internment as a POW. Upon his release at the end of the war, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role as Commanding Officer of the Black Sheep.
The TV series of course takes liberties with actual history. Boyington and the Black Sheep were stationed at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides (present-day Vanuatu). They also flew from Vella Lavella but there was no island called Vella La Cava or Epiritos Marcos. Although Boyington describes his men as misfits and the series happily plays this up, more balanced later accounts note that the men were more likely stragglers who had been separated from their units or got lost in the general confusion of the war and army bureaucracy. His Intelligence Officer is on record noting that none of the men in the squadron were facing disciplinary action while they were with the unit. When the series aired with his name attached as Technical Advisor, surviving members of the Black Sheep recalled how they ribbed him about it and how he had to apologise. One of the veterans is quoted to have indignantly said, "We never went up drunk. The only thing accurate about the show was that we flew Corsairs."
The exploits of the Black Sheep form about a third of his memoirs. Prior to that, before America's entry into the war, Boyington had served with the Flying Tigers in China. He also served in Burma before Roosevelt declared war and he once again joined the Marines in the Pacific. Following his downing and capture by a Japanese submarine, he spent the remaining 20 months of the war as a POW. In the years after the war, he fought alcoholism, broken marriages, joblessness and ill-health. A line from his memoir sums it up poignantly. As he rode through the ticker-tape parade after receiving his Medal of Honor from President Truman, a well-wisher grabbed him by the arm and said, "Enjoy it today, my boy, because they won't give you a job cleaning up the streets tomorrow." He published his memoirs in 1958. He returned to part-time flying after partially overcoming his alcoholism. He finally died of lung cancer in 1988 at the age of 75. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A true American hero. But as he himself wrote at the end of his book, "If this story were to have a moral, then I would say, 'Just name a hero and I'll prove he's a bum.'"
NBC's Baa Baa Black Sheep lasted a total of just 2 seasons, the casualty of poor ratings (it was up against Charlie's Angels), and high cost. This was before the advent of cheap CGI effects. Those planes you see onscreen are the real deal, vintage F4U Corsairs put through their paces.
In an effort to milk as much money as possible from this re-release, NBC-Universal has slyly packaged the 2 seasons into what I believe will eventually be 3 premium priced boxed sets. Volume 1 contains just half of the first season. Talk about greed. (For comparison, Universal has just released a boxed set of the first 2 seasons of Quincy ME at the same price.) Universal has crammed all the episodes onto 2 double-sided DVDs. Some older DVD players have problems playing these double-sided Universal DVDs. On one player it just spun uselessly registering a blank screen.
This first half-season consists of the first 10 episodes plus the one and a half hour pilot "Flying Misfits". What has NBC-Universal done to justify the pretty exorbitant price? Well, one thing we can be thankful for is that they have provided a reasonably good restoration of the original film prints. Picture quality is generally very good, clean, clear and sharp (though not as good as on the aforementioned Quincy ME). There are still occasional film nicks and dirt specks but generally the quality of the studio based footage is very high considering this was made in 1976. Archival and older stock footage has not been restored. They look very grainy and grimy in comparison to the footage shot specifically for the series. But this is quite reasonable and even lends a certain authenticity to the episodes. Sound is a basic 2.0 mono but clean and clear. The extras last a grand total of 6 minutes and consists of two interviews with the real Pappy Boyington, one made in 1959 just after the success of his memoirs, and the other in 1976 on the occasion of the premiere of Baa Baa Black Sheep on NBC.Bloopers: Stock footage of the corsairs is used repeatedly over the entire span of the series. One result is that the pilots' kill score reflected in the meatballs painted below the cockpits change haphazardly between episodes and even within episodes. Some of the archive footage has been used rather indiscriminately, the most obvious are the ones involving aircraft carriers. In the episode "Meatball Circus", the Black Sheep are supposed to land on the WW2 carrier Lexington. The footage however shows them approaching the modern carrier USS Ranger (CV61) with a full complement of jet fighters on deck. In at least 2 scenes we get to see helicopters taking off from the carrier when carriers did not have helicopters till well after WW2.
Note: The Black Sheep still flies today (redesignated VMA-214) as part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in support of Marine Expeditionary Forces. They are presently equipped with AV-8B Night Attack Harriers (VSTOL/Jump-Jets). Their last major deployment was to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Stand and Deliver (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)Stand and Deliver, directed by Ramón Menéndez and starring Edward James Olmos, is an entertaining dramatic retelling of a true story about what one man can accomplish when he dedicates his life to serving others.
The film contrasts the results of an educational system where no one cares enough to do anything more than to emptily, heartlessly "go through the motions," with what can be achieved through the labors of a single teacher who cares enough to demand more. The film argues for this more caring kind of educator. Each contrast suggests the inherent superiority of educators putting more than just their time into teaching their students; they must put in their hearts and souls as well.
The story is told from a several perspectives. The primary perspective is that of Jaime Escalante, a man who leaves the private sector to teach public High School in Eastern Los Angeles. There are a couple of secondary perspectives told concurrently with that of Escalante.
One is that of Angel, a troubled youth who is Escalante's most challenging student. Another is the ongoing romance between two of Escalante's other students: Lupe and Pedro. These differing perspectives serve as a narrative device in the film. The shifting back and forth between these story lines helps to break up the film into comprehensible segments within the linear whole. These alternate perspectives help build the viewer's affection for and interest in the students portrayed; while at the same time building the dramatic tension of the plot.
All in all, Stand and Deliver is successful in its aims (namely advancing the argument that there are no "uneducatable" students) while remaining compellingly entertaining.
In the late twentieth century movies supplanted literature as catalysts for social change. I believe that Stand and Deliver, as well as several other movies like it, have successfully moved education to the forefront as a national issue. The film is in that respect (which may well be the most important respect) a monumental success.
I wholeheartedly recommend this movie.

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Edward James Olmos's Oscar-nominated performance energizes this true-life story of a Los Angeles high school teacher who drives his students on to excellence at calculus.

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Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was skeptical. What does a blonde (now grey) former professional skateboarder (now film maker) from the other side of town know about gang wars in LA? And then there's me: a white guy from the suburbs in Ohio who was raised by a gun collector who is still pretty open about his use of the"N" word. When I hear about gang violence: I just shrug: "It's probably a fight over something stupid." Still, this film remained in my queue and wasn't working its way up very quickly.
I elevated this movie to #1 when Michael Vick was signed by the Eagles. In one week: I heard two accounts from completely different lifestyles: Prissy ESPN sports talk show host Mike Greenberg declared that he had never heard of the subculture known as dog fighting until the Vick case made the news. Vick stated that dog fighting in his childhood neighborhood was so common that police would stop to see a fight and then drive away. Dog fighting was the norm. It was then when I knew I had to check out Peralta's newest movie as I'd loved the Dog Town and Z Boys documentary.
The first 25-30 minutes of the movie covers pre-1970 race riots in LA and other cities. How invisible lines created "hoods" by police who would commonly question straying pedestrians about "why don't you go back to your neighborhood?" Then abruptly, the movie takes a sharp turn when vocal black leaders like MLK, Malcom X and others are thrown in jail or murdered. Suddenly, all the icons were gone. Think of the Living Colour song: Cult of Personality - "When that leader speaks, that leader dies."
For the rest of the movie I was hooked. I couldn't grasp what was happening. The Crips and Bloods seemed to come out of nowhere. Peralta seemed to have skipped something important. But he didn't. I didn't understand how there were suddenly two gangs. I didn't understand why they were divided and bent on killing each other based on territories, red or blue bandanas, or other reasons.
Before the movie ended, I got it. Young black men without fathers, mentors or real leadership took a downward turn. Image, status and bravado became a common theme in neighborhoods where there is no hope. I will admit that I'm a Republican with strong beliefs that everybody should pull their weight and not rely on handouts. In a world where police often respond by use of strong force, there's little reason to NOT question authority. I have no solutions. The oppressed respond to violence, with violence.
Jim Brown has a couple of short appearances (he's not in the film enough in my opinion) and he is quoted by someone in the extras: "If the police have not resolved the problem in 40 years, they never will resolve the problem." It's about oppression, not the gangs themselves. Stacey says the an outtake that he wanted to make this movie because he didn't understand why there is no gang violence in suburban or upscale neighborhoods. Why are people arming themselves and having gun battles with former childhood friends in impoverished communities?
This movie is a must see for anyone even mildly afraid to drive thru certain neighborhoods or better yet, the generation of kids from the suburbs who were raised on hip hop, MTV and anything that glorified the gangsta lifestyle. In the extras, Snoop Dog and Lil Wayne each give a heartfelt, unscripted point of view that really was impressive.

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Uncommon Valor (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Over the years we have had Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Siege of Firebase Gloria, Rambo II, Hamburger Hill and other Vietnam war movies. These movies showed the harrowing, gritty, and savage aspects that the Vietnam war doled out on soldiers.
Now, what about those soldiers that did not come home? Those soldiers that were left behind? Those soldiers that the U.S. Government did not think were worth rescuing because it was not politically feasible? Well, that brings us to Uncommon Valor.
This is a movie about Prisoners of War who were not forgotten by a group of Veterans who put aside everything, put themselves in harms way, and dared to defy the U.S. Government to do the right thing and bring those soldiers home.
We have Gene Hackman who is the retired Army colenel risking all to find his son and bring him home. Very powerful portayal here by Hackman who is determined to surmount all obstacles and do whatever is necessary and lead his group of men to find the prisoners.
Fred Ward, in a very good role, is an ex-tunnel rat that is still very haunted by a quite traumatic experience he had in a tunnel in Vietnam replete with vivid nightmares. Just as Hackmans character is still haunted by nightmares from the Korean war. Ward, accepting his fears and the trials and tribulations to follow, knows that they cannot leave POW's behind.
Randall "Tex" Cobb is another one recruited who never quite regained touch with society after the war but is admirable in the way that he gives everything in his soul to make sure this mission is a success.
Reb Brown, not a widely known actor as compared to some other characters in this movie, does a fine job as a demolitons expert who gives his life to ensure the success of bringing the boys home.
Patrick Swayze is the young but tough-as-nails ex-Marine who will go to Hell and back to be part of this mission due to his father being shot down in Vietnam and who is Missing in Action. When the other Veterans learn of Swayze's fathers status, they adopt Swayze as one of their own and Swayze does an excellent turn as an inexperienced but very, very determined team player.
Tim Thomerson and Harold Sylvster are the helicopter pilots that absolutely refuse to quit, and, no matter what the odds, they will fly that team and those POW's out of danger no matter what it takes. Both give excellent performances as great pilots under heavy stress.
Lastly we have Robert Stack who, like Gene Hackman's character, has a son who is missing in action and has a vested interest in this mission. Stack finances the whole operation and holds his ground when he is threatened by officials within the government to call off the mission. Stack portrays his part very nicely.
This movie is truly excellent and sends a very clear and decisive message. The United States government thinks it is not worth the effort or politics or trouble to retrieve men lost in a very ugly and very horrifying war. After what those men have been through in the war and in a prison camp, it is worth every dollar, every ounce of pain, every drop of sweat, every tear shed and every conviction of what is right to go and get those men out of that Hell hole and bring them home. There should be no hesitation whatsoever. You DO NOT leave anyone behind.......ever. I would give this movie 10 stars if I could.

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A man tries to find his son, listed as \missing in action" in Laos"

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Biography - Audie Murphy: Great American Hero (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)At long last a documentary that details the war record of a great American, this video is required viewing for all Audie Murphy fans. If there is a drawback, it skims too quickly over his film career. However, those interested in Audie's life behind the scenes in Hollywood should read A THINKER'S DAMN: AUDIE MURPHY, VIETNAM, AND THE MAKING OF THE QUIET AMERICAN. It provides fresh insights into the character of this great hero and how Hollywood treated him.

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He was America's greatest World War II hero, at one point singlehandedly holding off 250 German soldiers and six tanks. But despite winning acclaim and stardom, he could never escape the pain and trauma of the conflict that made him a hero. From his diffi

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King David (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)When this film was released in 1985, the critics were not kind, but I love this film, and think it's a good telling of the story of David, based on I and II Samuel, I Chronicles, and the Psalms. Though much of it has been compressed (David's relationship with Bathsheba is limited mostly to the consequences of it for instance) and some creative license used for plot continuity, it has a tremendous amount of Biblical accuracy.
Taking place from 1000 to 961 B.C., the costuming, sets, and artifacts are fabulous; filmed in Pinewood Studios, U.K., and on location in Italy, the cinematography by Donald McAlpine is wonderful. The score is also lovely, by Carl Davis.
The brief nudity in the wedding chamber sequence has in my tape, been darkened so as to be imperceptible; either this is a flaw in the tape, or an effort not to offend and capture a wider audience, which would be silly, as this is a very mature drama. It contains much brutal violence making it unsuitable for children, and the confrontation with Goliath for example (which is exceptionally well done), is one of four beheadings.
Richard Gere is a marvelous David, and stands up well against an excellent international cast. He was thirty-five when this was filmed, and is about as handsome as a human has a right to be. The actor who shines above all though is Edward Woodward as Saul. He is riveting, and it's a brilliant character study of courage mixed with jealousy, revenge, and madness.
This is far from being a "Big Bible Epic" with lots of well known stars, instead it's serious and beautifully acted, and perhaps arrived on the scene at the wrong time, that it was so unappreciated two decades ago. Total running time is 114 minutes.
"It is through the heart, the heart alone, that God speaks to man".

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Following the Biblical tale, KING DAVID chronicles the real-life story of David, a lowly shepherd boy whose shrewdness and bravery helped him ascend to the throne of ancient Israel.From his defeat of Goliath to his jealousy-fueled relationship with Saul, to his self-destructive yearning for Bathsheba, the story of David is an action-packed saga of religion and politics based partly on history and partly on legend and full of ethical lessons imparted by a wise God.

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